Columbus Crew Scouting Report

Real Salt Lake (11-6-3, 36 pts.) comes to Buck Shaw Stadium just a point behind San Jose for the top position in the Western Conference. Costa Rican forward Alvaro Saborio leads a dangerous RSL attack with 10 goals on the season.

In RSL’s last game on July 7 against the Portland Timbers, Saborio scored his first MLS hat-trick. Fellow forward Fabian Espindola supports Saborio in the attack, and has added six goals and three assists.

Javier Morales and Kyle Beckerman control RSL’s midfield, each dishing out four assists and Beckerman adding four goals. MLS veteran Nick Rimando is the RSL goalkeeper (45 saves, 1.06 GAA).

Of Note

The Earthquakes (11-4-4, 37 pts.) held their position atop the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield standings with a scoreless draw at FC Dallas on July 7. San Jose is one point clear of Real Salt Lake (11-6-3, 36 pts.) with a game in hand.

Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski and defender Steven Beitashour were among 11 players named to the MLS All-Star team on Sunday. The duo is available for selection to suit up on Wednesday, July 25 when MLS hosts defending European Champion Chelsea at PPL Park (5:30 p.m. PT / ESPN2, TeleFutura). For Wondolowski, the selection is the second in his career while Beitashour received his first career All-Star nod.

The Earthquakes will play their first match at Buck Shaw Stadium since May 19 when Real Salt Lake visits on Saturday. The club has played four home matches – three in U.S. Open Cup competitions – in that time. The slate included two trips to Stanford’s Cagan Stadium, a U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco and a sold-out California Clasico at Stanford Stadium.

Through 19 games, the Earthquakes are No. 1 in MLS with 36 goals scored and 38 assists. With 24 scores conceded, the Quakes are also tied with D.C. United for No. 1 in the league with a +12 goal differential.

Chris Wondolowski continues to pace the pack in the Budweiser Golden Boot race after scoring No. 14 of the season on June 30 against the LA Galaxy. New York Red Bulls striker Kenny Cooper is next with 11, followed by teammate Thierry Henry, D.C. United’s Chris Pontius and Houston’s Will Bruin with nine apiece.

Earthquakes – Real Salt Lake Connections

On May 25 Wondolowski, Rimando, and RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman were all named to Klinsmann’s final 23 man roster for matches against Scotland, Brazil, Canada, and 2014 World Cup Qualifiers against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala

Quakes midfielder Sam Cronin (2005-08) and defender Ike Opara (2007-09) played with RSL midfielder Cody Arnoux (2006-08) at Wake Forest, guiding the Demon Deacons to the program’s first national title together in 2007

Quakes midfielder Jean-Marc Alexandre was selected by Real Salt Lake in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, making 38 league appearances for the club over three seasons, all of which ended with qualification into the MLS Cup Playoffs, prior to being traded to San Jose on Dec. 1, 2011

Quakes captain Ramiro Corrales and RSL assistant coach Jeff Cassar played 90 minutes together for the now-defunct Miami Fusion on May 31, 1998, against the then-Dallas Burn at the Cotton Bowl, with current RSL head coach Jason Kreis scoring the 37th-minute winner in a 2-0 Dallas victory in what was Corrales’ only appearance for Miami

RSL midfielder Ned Grabavoy appeared in 24 games for San Jose in 2008. Grabavoy also played under current Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop while with the LA Galaxy during the early part of the 2006 season, and was a teammate of Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch with the Columbus Crew later in 2006